General

Wendy Clarkson-Carter was a competitor of outstanding ability and was known among her peers as a wonderful team player, a superlative competitor, and an excellent ambassador for Canada.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1956, Wendy was introduced to badminton in the 1960’s by her parents at the Wascana Club in Regina. At the Wascana Winter Club, Wendy took to badminton with ease and top badminton coaches of the time quickly recognized Wendy’s natural athletic talent and potential to become a badminton star. Art Booth was Wendy’s first coach in Regina at that time.

The Clarkson Family, all badminton players in their time, moved from Regina to Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1968. Fredericton, a small city, was a very different badminton environment. The courts being in the YM/WCA gymnasium. Wendy continued to play badminton representing New Brunswick at Canadian National Badminton Tournaments.

After three years in the maritimes, the Clarkson family returned west to Edmonton. She was coached and played out of the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton over the next 6 years before moving south to train and play at the Calgary Glencoe Club training and playing as a member of the Canadian National Team.

With Cam Dalgleish, Wendy won the mixed doubles in the 1975 Canadian National Badminton Championships. Wendy won her first Canadian Women’s singles title in 1976, one year after winning the Canadian Junior Singles title and with Tracy Van Wassenhove, the Canadian Junior Doubles title. That same year (1976), Wendy Clarkson went on to win the Canadian Open Women’s singles title three years in a row. She competed in the quarter-finals of the All England Badminton Championships twice and the semi-finals in 1978. At the first World Championships in 1977, Wendy reached the quarter-finals in singles and mixed doubles with Lucio Fabris. She repeated her quarter-final singles feat at the next World Championships in 1980.

During the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, she won silver in the team competition and bronze in the ladies' singles. That year, she was ranked as 3rd-best female badminton player in the world. In 1979, she won the prestigious triple crown at the nationals. In 1980, she won the ladies’ singles again and in 1981 & 1982, she won gold in ladies' doubles and added the mixed doubles title in 1982.

Wendy represented Canada in tournament play in Asia and Europe and played on Canada’s Uber Cup team (1978, 1981 & 1984) and Pan American team (1977 & 1978). Following her competitive career, she hosted Badminton camps in Kelowna (1985-1988), she was Manitoba’s provincial coach for 10 years (1984-94), and recently retired from coaching at various Badminton clubs in the Seattle area. Wendy was inducted into the University of Alberta’s Sports Wall of Fame in 2011.